Frequency of Abnormal Electroencephalography in Cases with Ischemic Stroke

Stroke was a common global condition, with low-income countries bearing the highest burden. It leads to reduced cerebral blood flow, limiting oxygen and glucose, and causing cerebral infarction. Electroencephalography has been used as a biomarker to predict outcomes in ischemic stroke during its acute and subacute phases. Objective: To determine the frequency of abnormal EEG in cases with ischemic stroke. Methods: After obtaining approval from the CPSP research evaluation unit, this cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Neurology, Punjab Institute of Neurosciences, Lahore, from January 2019 to June 2019 on 96 ischemic stroke patients. Written informed consent was taken from patients/attendants, and demographic details were noted. Using a CT scan, all cases were diagnosed as ischemic stroke. The EEG was done in all cases within 24 hours of admission. All data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. Results: In the current study, 57.3% of patients with ischemic stroke were found to have abnormal EEG. Data stratification was found to be significant concerning gender and duration of stroke, p- value = 0.01 and 0.000, respectively. However, abnormal EEG frequency was noted more among 45-60-year-old male patients of normal weight and those who presented within 1-2 days of stroke. Conclusions: According to current study findings, more than half of the ischemic stroke cohort was found to have abnormal EEG. The high frequency of aberrant EEG results highlights the importance of EEG as a useful diagnostic tool when evaluating individuals who have had acute ischemic stroke.